Healing Damaged Emotions, Part 4

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. (John 14:16)

This will be my last post of notes from "Healing for Damaged Emotions" by David Seamands. It's just a helpful, easy-to-read book and so full of good thoughts, I think this is one I'll be wanting to reread.

• In my last post I started to list the symptoms of perfectionism, the first two of which were "The Tyranny of the Oughts" and "Self-depreciation." Here are the others: anxiety, legalism, anger and denial.
• (Jesus said) "My yoke is easy." (Matt. 11: 28-30) What does this mean? His yoke is comfortable because it is tailor-made to your personality, your individuality, and your humanity. "My burden is light" means that the Christ who fits you with a yoke will never leave you alone, but will always be yoked with you in the form of a Paraclete, the One who comes alongside to help you carry that comfortable burden and yoke. (page 86)
• Healthy is a process. ... Every such desperate grasp for quick solutions is a search for magic, not a miracle. (page 90)
  
• The word "grace" is always woven into the presence of the Giver of grace. We should never use the word "grace" as if we were describing some kind of commodity that God dispenses. Grace means a gracious God coming to you. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Grace is not a commodity but our Lord Himself coming to us in His graciousness. (Page 90-91)
• DOORMATS -- Dependent Order of Really Meek and Timid Souls. Their motto is, "The meek will inherit the Earth, if that's OK with everybody." (Page 94)
• In the cross, God demonstrated His total identification with us in our undeserved suffering, as well as in our deserved punishment.
• At the cross, we begin to see how deeply Christ is the truth and not just te bright, shining, beautiful truth of God FOR all of us. His cross is the ghastly, revolting truth ABOUT all of us -- the truth about the envy and the hate and the lust and the selfishness and the rage that permeates this fallen, sinful world of human beings. (page 98)

Finally, Martin Luther's (and Seamands') solution for depression:

1. Avoid being alone. When you are depressed you don't want to be around people. But withdrawing means isolation, which further feeds depression.
2. Seek help from others. Seek out people and situations that generate joy.
3. Sing and make music. Like Saul. (1 Samuel 16:14-23)
4. Praise and give thanks. (Philippians 4:4-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:18). "In EVERYTHING (Everything? Yes, EVERYTHING!) give thanks."
5. Lean heavily on the power of God's Word. Especially the Psalms. Read them out loud.
   
6. Rest confidently in the presence of God the Holy Spirit. (Psalm 42:5, John 14:16-19)

These are good points. The first two are the most difficult because it requires the willingness and availability of others to participate and action on your part to involve others.